Vehicle wall, especially door structure



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N VEN TOR ATTORNEY Sept.,14, 1943. G. TRAu"rvE1- rER VEHICLE WALL ESPECIALLY DOOR "STRUCTURE mea Nov. 29, 1939 flaw-'111111114 a TRAUTVETTER 2,329,494 VEHICLE WALL ESPECIALLY DooR STRUCTURE Filed No'v. 29. 1959 2 sheets-sheet 2 f Ava lL ICrB Sept. 14, 1943.

Patented Sept. 14, 1943 VEHICLE WALL, ESPECIALLY Doon n STRUCTURE 3, Y v

George Trautvetter,`Philadelphia,"1a.,assignor to Edward G. Budd `Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a Vcorporation of Pennsylvania Application November 29, V193,9, Serial No. 306,592'

1 claim. w1. '29E- 44) Thev invention relates to a vehicle-wall structure such as a vehicle doorfandvmore particularly to such a'structure comprising'a window frame.

It is among the objects of the invention to cre- A ate a structure of the indicated type which is simple, comparatively -light in weight yet'nevertheless strong and which can easilyand inexpensively be manufactured. A more specific object of the invention is to give the parts entering the structure such a shape that they can cheaply be manufactured by die stamping operations and that they lend themselves to be easily assembled into the final structure by spot welding,

Further objectsand advantages as well as the detailsA of the invention will become apparent from the embodiments shown in the attached drawings when readtogether with-the following description thereof. In the drawings: f

Fig. 1 is an inside view of an automobile front v door.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are sections at a larger scale along the correspondingly numbered section lines of Fig. r1 and viewed in the directionof the arrows.

Fig. 5 is an inside ,viev/l of an automobile rear door. Y

Figs. 6, 7 and 8v are sections at -a larger scale along the correspondingly numbered section lines vof Fig. 5 and viewed in the direction of the arrows. s

rThe front door shown in Figs. 1 to 4 comprises an outer panel or facing member Spreferably of sheet metal which is provided around the window openinglll with an inturned flange II so as to form an outer `garnish moulding. The door frame comprisesa lock rail I 2, an upper rail I3, a hinge rail Manda bottom rail I5. Thesey rails are provided along their outerrmargins with a laterally extending flange I6 around which the to the free edge kof the lateral ange 25 which is provided along the inner edge of the lock rail I2.

' All connecting points between the channeld 8, the

As shown in Fig. 2, a deep channel member I8 l has projections I9 of its bottom wall I9 rest against ,and fastened,as by'spot Welding, to the A flange" 23,which is`bent off from theflange II of the outer' panel overlaps and rests against the outersidewall of the channel and has its free margin crimped around the `free edge of this wall and fastenedthereto. The free, margin of the f inner Wall 22 lis provided with inwardly and, outwardly-ben't off anges 24, 24' l and the flange 24 rests against and is fastened as by spot welding outer panel 9, and the lock rail I2 are, as obvious, easily accessible fork making those connections. The channel carries a window guide lining 26 of any suitable material; such as felt orfabric covered rubber, this' lining forminga yguide for a vertically and`horiZont-al1y reciprocable window pane 21.

The cross 'section'shown.iniFig'. 3 extends from about the lower forward corner of the-Window opening 4to about the upper/rear corner thereof. The outer panel 9 is, inwardly continued beyond the garnish mouldin'gsection II by portions 23` to 33. The portion 28 vextends from theinner edge of the portion II inithe direction' of the main planev of the door and away from the window formed by the louter portion faces away from the center 'of .the window opening whereas the channel34'for`rned by the portion 32`faces toward the middle of the window opening.v The yend portion orv flange 33 vforming apart of the wall of the channel 34 overlaps an innerV arm 35"of the top 'rail I3 and these overlapping parts are connected With'each other at 35 as yby spot welding. The flange-33 is spaced from thebead 3l sufliciently to `permit the entry of a spot welding electrode for connecting itto the' flange 35 of the top railA l 31 Theitransversely extending web' 3!.of the top' rail I3 is 'provided with a longitudinaldepression' .'flwhichv rests against the portion 29r and isconnected therewith at 39'as by spot welding. The member 31 "Which is `fastened to the outside of the web 31 serves for holding a weatherstrip. The portionsv 28,/ 279 and 3B lform @together a channel 'for holding al weatherstrip 40 'for the `rwindow panel 21.5 A removable garnish moulding il'cshownin Figs. 2 and 3 allows the insertion andthereplacernent of the window 2l.4

The web of the hinge' rail is designatedby the nunieralftl' in Fig', 4`and is provided along its innerledge'vvitli a-lange '42 which extends to- Wardfthe'fmiddle' of' the door.

b A panel'vr 43 is fastened vto the flanges -25'and 42 of the lockrail I2` and the hinge rail I4 respectively and serves for rsupporting the, 'not shown, door lock and the the easy connection to the adjacent rail by spot welding.

I The invention is, of course, not restricted to the construction of vehicle doors in general or automobile doors in particular, but the invention is obviously applicable `to the construction of the rails along Window openings in other portions of a vehicle Wall such as for instance along the rear quarter side Window vopening of` such modifications are intendedl to be protected by the following claim.

I claim: y

In a vehicle Wall structure having a Window opening, a Window frame comprising a side facing member'of sheet metal formed as a unitary stamping integral in cross-section comprising an outer portion constituting an outer garnish molding for the Window opening, an adjoining Window guide channel Whose inner vWall is of less depth thanthe outer, a bead constituted by a reverse bending of the inner Wall, and nally j a flange spaced from the bead a distance sufcient to permit'welding and projecting toward the Window opening a distance not greater than the height of the bead. f

' I GEORGE TRAUTVE'IYTER. 

